I started 2014, very much unable to walk unaided. It was quite a shitty time. Come March, the physio’s had given up on me and left me to the surgeons.
The cause of this was down to a messy L4/L5 disk. It had been a problem in 2012, and it decided it wanted to ruin 2014 for me to. But, I am a fighter.
I walked out of the surgery consultants 3 weeks later – Surgery N0t Required At This Time. I wasn’t really sure how i felt about his. I mean, sure, its good to avoid surgery where possible, but i was also hoping surgery might be the be all end all. My secret? There was no real secret. I just continued to exercise and stretch. Gently. But progressively. Slowly pushing slightly further each time.
I still get the odd twinge of sciatic pain down my left side, but i can live with that, compared to the terrible pain i had been suffering before. I’d lost a bit of weight during this, so now was going to be a good time to put some weight back on, so when i could get into training again, i could trim the fat. I increased to 81kg’s and around 18% bodyfat.
Roll forward to July, and i did some light exercise, swimming, a couple of cycle rides… it was hard. Having been an active person all my life, to then being immobile for nigh on 2 years, my fitness levels crashed horribly!
Then… a little seed in my head seemed to get the exact right combination of moisture and warmth. White Collar Boxing! What if, having started the year unable to walk, i could end the year with my head held high and fighting?! Well, little seeds do grow…